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omgshalini1-blog · 4 years

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Is AI a threat to human resources?

With technology taking over almost all functions across numerous industries, there is a buzz that AI might just render all human jobs obsolete.

Is the buzz true or is it just an assumption trending?

What is AI?

Artificial Intelligence is any task performed by a computer or machine that would otherwise require human intelligence. Whenever a computer performs an activity requiring analytical thinking, reasoning, problem solving, emoting, perception, recognition, creativity etc, it is said to be demonstrating AI. Machines are being taught to imitate human behavior by ‘teaching’ them based on prescribed logic backed by humongous amount of data.

AI specifically works on three skills namely reasoning, learning and self-correction.

Computing devices operate on set algorithms that pan out the step by step process of task a completion. The algorithms are in turn based on a set of historical data that is used for generating these rules and is continuously growing, enabling the system to run the right logic and rectifying errors by fine tuning the logic to provide precise results.

Application of AI in marketing is already prevalent with other industries starting to adopt and make new innovations in the field. Use of AI technology in everyday life includes things as basic as keypad suggestions; voice and speech recognition by Siri and Alexa or even smartphones; facial recognition in android phones; online ads that are targeted to individuals based on their past behavior, their likes or dislikes. Even google uses AI called Rankbrain to list and display the most relevant content as results for a search. Automated email marketing used as a tool of digital marketing also uses AI and is based on user behavior to befit customized mails for different user.

The most common use of AI that has been prevalent from a long time now is are chatbots that reply to your queries online. Continuous research and development is going on take make it sound as human as possible using AI to make the algorithm learn and fine-tune itself as it replies.

Uses of AI across different industries:

1. AI in healthcare:

AI in healthcare is life changing. It is being used to make diagnosis by identifying patterns in development of diseases, their growth, response and behavior. This is being done with the help of data mining to analyze trends and form precise predictions and diagnosis regarding medical conditions, management, robotic arm surgeries for more complicated surgeries and much more. AI is also helping in the field of pharmacy as it makes R&D more streamlined since it’s capable to handle and study historical data which is too big for a human mind. A bio-tech company called NuMedii has created a platform called Artificial Intelligence for Drug discovery enabling the detection of link between drugs and diseases at the systems level. Technology giants like Microsoft, apple, IBM are entering the healthcare industry. So here is hoping that medicine will see some major technological developments in the coming decade.

Some advancements like IBM Watson which is an AI tool, can analyze both structured and unstructured data to derive actionable conclusions like studying a patient’s medical record to find the best treatment plan for him thus almost acting like a doctor.

AI in e-commerce:

Use of AI in e-commerce is most widely evident. It is in this space that targeted marketing including online ads and email marketing are helping online businesses thrive. Since online is a very competitive domain to be in, marketers need to best assess the consumer behavior and create the best strategy to snatch businesses and beat competition.

The product recommendations on Amazon or movie suggestions of Netflix are all based on complex AI that keeps studying your past behavior and makes suggestions that you are mostly likely to end up buying. In order to enhance customer experience, companies like Lenskart are also using computer vision which is a part of AI to depict how a certain frame will suit your face. Chatbots on zomato and swiggy are also an example of AI being used to further customer interaction and solve queries.

AI in Banking sector:

The applications of Artificial Intelligence in Banking and Finance sector are numerous. All those areas requiring human investigation into part and present data to arrive at conclusions like loan sanctions to be given or not, can be handled by AI. Even loan applications processed via agents can be done AI bots in a smoother and more efficient manner.

AI is also being used by stock broking companies to make the right investments at the right time and decide on actions such as buying or selling within fractions of seconds to maximize profits. Hence, it is natural that AI is also being used in the area of financial advising as it can study tons of data and come out with right investment decisions for customers. It can also make very personalized investments suggestions by studying the mails, personal data and social media activity in order to find the right area and industries for long term investment.

AI is also helping in the insurance sector by creating plans based on individual consumer’s data and reducing the time required in claim processing and helping both, the company as well as the customer.

However the most important use of AI in the finance sector is fraud detection. It studies and tracks the card details based on your transactional behavior and other data points and thus, quickly recognizes abrupt changes, in turn identifying fraud.

AI in Logistics and transportation:

AI has already revolutionized the logistics and supply chain making supply chain management as super smooth and easy task. Many warehouses including the retail giant Wallmart use AI to detect store requirements in advance and use AI powered bots to sort, pack, assemble and ship products as and when required. With the likes of Amazon providing the same day delivery it is imperative to use AI to find the shortest and most efficient shipment route in order to support the last mile delivery.

Being constantly able to predict overstocking or understocking is a very important function that companies try to master. AI is helping companies now ascertain patterns in product demand and suggest shipments of products that might get understocked so that they don’t lose business.

‘Self Driving’ vehicles are the innovation of the era. Companies like Volkswagen, Tesla, Volvo and more are scrambling to develop a fool proof self-driving car. Although it is still in the development stage with a lot of R&D, rectifications and changes being done to the prototype everyday, the possibility of auto driven cars has garnered a huge following. Those days are near when auto driven cars will replace human drivers for safer roads. Meanwhile R&D is also being done on public traffic management platforms and traffic management.

AI in travel industry:

Travel industry majorly uses chatbots to reply to customer queries and improve customer service by being available to them at all times and taking queries even at odd hours. Complex algorithms also study travel history, transactional data and social media activity to learn about personal inclination and travel aspirations to understand the probable travel destinations that a customer might book for.

Personalized suggestions and targeted marketing can help travel companies to increase their conversion rate by charting out exactly what a consumer would be looking at based on his own personal travel history.

AI in real estate:

While brokers and agents are integral to real estate, buying or selling property is not a very organized domain. Brokers keeps a tab of their clients and try to understand the socio-economic status of a client before they propose a property to them. AI can help brokers and agents fill the information gap by fitting the right client with the right property. AI can study multiple data points like past purchase behavior, income, investment etc and arrive at a decision with respect to the sale or purchase of a property and whether they will be a fit.

AI in entertainment and gaming:

Show suggestions on Netflix and Amazon prime are an example of AI being used to provide tailored suggestions. AI is helping TV and movie producers to find what shows will run best by helping them to identify trending topics and enhancing digital effects in movies thus reducing time and cost involved in production.

Tasks like storyboard development, schedule formation for filming etc are being done with the help of AI. AI is also being applied for creative concepts like designing and developing creative concepts like creating a film trailer. In 2016, the trailer of the film Morgan, was created by IBM Watson and released worldwide.

Music apps like itunes or Spotify try to understand the music taste of customers and play the right kind of music based on individual tastes and preferences. Since, technology has gotten so smart, consumers have lost patience and what is not customized for them or up to their taste can’t engage them for long.

The gaming industry uses AI extensively. In a game, there are non-player characters that respond to the player’s character as if they are a part of a storyline and hence are important to maintain the essence of the entire story and maximize the gamer’s experience. The behavior modeling of these characters is then very imperative to the storyline and their real time adaptation to the game is where all advanced and complex AI algorithms are used.

AI in Manufacturing:

AI in manufacturing is very pervasive. It is used in all layers of manufacturing starting from workforce planning to range development to production planning, packaging, logistics and so on as a result improving efficiency, quality and safety of employees and the unit.

AI is also used for sensitive functions like accurately predicting the malfunction of an asset or part of a machine. This is required by the management to plan in advance so as to not suffer any loss of downtime of a mishap that can occur due to malfunctioning machines on the production site.

Robots are a very important part of a production floor but they have been static and been used for mechanical work in the past requiring human intervention for complex jobs. The use of AI in robotics can reduce redundant tasks for humans and enable shorter lead time on the floor and also avoid human errors in production. AI can also enable humans and robots to work alongside each other on the floor without a threat of accidents.

AI in the quality check department can identify manufacturing defects that can be a cause of quality compliance. The faults that are not very evident can also be identified helping in tracking production process deviation, machine defects, raw material changes and so on. AI can make sure that all units produced have the same standard and quality assurance.

Machines have started to understand and anticipate human behavior and the near future will unfold major possibilities with respect to technology and how we all lead our lives.

How is AI changing the world?

Robots and driverless cars:

Enabling robots to act unanimously has brought about new innovations like auto driven cars, delivery drones, financial advisors and more. In an era of drone delivered parcels and (possibly) self driven cars, AI and robotics naturally overlap.

Seamless imitation

Neural network can copy and create realistic image and even do a pitch perfect sound replication of someone’s voice thus rendering all the videos and audio we listen on social media as genuine or fake.

Speaking to computers

Speech and language recognition has made computers to listen and type (speech to text) the spoken words with almost 95 percent accuracy and new technological advancements have birthed a real time language transcriber which is as efficient as a human transcriber. Speaking to computers for work will be a norm in the coming times.

Nationwide surveillance

Accuracy of facial recognition has provided a new prospect of detecting faces to trace malign behavior or security threat. Although police in the US has used facial recognition on a trial basis, other countries are considering using CCTV cameras to detect suspicious behavior.

Healthcare

AI in healthcare can take medicine to the next level. It can help locate tumors, find genetic sequences indicating diseases, create medicines and even perform critical surgery. It can even diagnose cancer and spot abnormalities that a human eye can overlook.

Now the big question is, will AI replace you at your work place?

There is hardly an aspect of human job that AI can’t impact. It has the potential to revolutionize jobs in every sector, the question is by how much? AI will certainly change the nature of work that has majorly been modern day manual, repetitive work. Although AI can’t replace all jobs, certain jobs can be easily replaced as technology advances. For instance, Amazon Go, a cashierless supermarket in the US has AI billing items picked by the customers. A customer can pick products he wants and walk out of the store without standing in a long line to get his stuff billed anymore. As a result of this innovation, a lot of cashiers will lose their jobs. Since, technology is good at automating and optimizing repetitive jobs, AI can lead a change in this space.

On the other hand, as a number of bots being used in factories and warehouses are increasing, so are the human resources who operate and manage these bots.

Auto driven cars are not a reality yet, they are still under development, but when they become a reality, numerous people will lose their jobs. From trucking deliveries to couriers and taxi drivers, a lot of human beings will be replaced by AI.

But AI will also result in new jobs as it creates new possibilities in various domains. What is not known is whether these jobs will be quickly filled by those who lose their jobs, or will there be a knowledge gap. There are also talks regarding AI and humans working together for better outcomes. For instance, AI will also take care of dangerous jobs like mining where no more human lives will have to be put at risk. Humans will just have to manage the AI bots to perform the designated task.

AI will reshape jobs

AI will redefine and reshape jobs from mere repetitive mechanical jobs to interesting and more engaging ones. For example, the workforce that previously worked in the quality check department can now work on inputs from the AI systems regarding defects in production and how to solve them. The roles of such workforce will shift to strategizing in the long run.

AI solutions are based on huge piles of data sets that need to be arranged, studied and analyzed to derive any meaning out of it. This creates a major gap for data analysts, miners and scientists. Deep learning scientists are needed to train machine learning tools and human intervention is required to solve any situation that an AI based system might encounter in a real work scenario.

As technology is expanding and the world is going digital, there is a need for cybersecurity. As all kinds of data stores by government, army, financial institutions, healthcare institutions and even the general public upload personal and sensitive data online, there is a very high chance of data leak, fraud and crime. Criminal enterprises like hackers, malware and other security threats emerge to benefit from unauthorized access to other’s data. As a result of this, Cybersecurity has seen a lot of openings as a job role in the recent past and the trend is supposed to grow in the coming future.

Jobs that can’t be replaced by AI include jobs that require empathy, creativity and ethical judgement. While a lot of companies might be reluctant to adopt AI in their operations and management, it is not long before their competitors beat them in sales, marketing and innovation. Companies today have no choice but to adapt. Both the businesses and the employees will have to develop new skills in order to thrive in the industry.

AI is an enabling technology that is changing the entire job scene by replacing manual jobs and creating new industries at the same time. Jobs created already are for programmers, coders, computer developers, digital marketers, data analysts and scientists, AI experts and researchers and more. Even the self-driven cars require engineers to build them, new security tech requires more tech employees again to build the new infrastructure.

AI will create jobs that are difficult to fathom right now. AI has enabled real time language translation. There has always been a demand for people who are multilingual. Imagine if language translation started to cost zero. All these people would lose their jobs but it would also result in new job creation as businesses will go international easily without a language barrier. This will create more jobs on both sides as AI can translate basics while human interaction is more nuanced. AI language translator will also give rise to travel and tourism as more people will find it comfortable to travel by simply depending on technology to be their translator.

As our era shifts towards AI and machine learning with a speculation that ‘AI will consume jobs’, let us all remember breakthrough technologies like electricity, mechanical power and assembly line and how they impacted lives. They created new jobs, raised wages and propelled future growth and bettered our lives and so will Artificial Intelligence that will be bigger than any other revolution and will hit us from everywhere.

#technology #education #ai #data science #e-learning #industry #iot #data #blockchain #job ready #online learning #tech #artificialintelligence #robots #robotics #cloud computing #liveclasses #qversity

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kawoshitting · 7 years

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Tag Index

A list + explanations of all of my tags, most of which are NGE-related. This is mostly so that I know what my tags are lol. Not all of these have posts associated with them, because part of the function of this index is to keep track of my entire tagging scheme.

Table of Contents:

Relationships

Characters

Clothing/Appearance

Evas

Angels

Other Entities/Objects

Which Evangelion

People/Entities who Worked On/Created Evangelion

Works Created for/Used by Evangelion

other types of posts:

#asks

#anonymous

tangentially related to NGE:

#cats

posts with pictures of cats, will probably also be NGE-related but maybe not

#plants

I really like a nice drawing of a plant (very calming, I love succulents) so I think it would be good if I tagged these too

#flowers

#clouds

i really like clouds okay

#colorful

posts -- likely art -- with lots of colors because i’m a sucker for that lol

art references

#color theory ref

posts that I want to reference for color theory/color scheme references/ideas

#clothing ref

art that I want to reference for nice examples of drawing clothes (fabric makes me want to cry lol)

#pretty

also likely art

#cute

also likely art, equally likely to be comics as well

#lol

some comics, but more likely some Evangelion shitposts + me reacting to myself in my own tags...sigh...

#other

contains content not directly related to NGE, but the post still involves NGE content

#unrelated

Nothing in this post is related to NGE

personality

#mbti

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

this entire list actually makes me question the fact that I’m an INTP

#moral alignments

D&D (dungeons and dragons)-type moral alignment-related posts

#audrey thinks too much

original posts where I mostly just ramble lol, they’re probably about Evangelion but they’re less refined than my #eva conspiracies posts

#have i reblogged this before

when I’m not sure if i’ve reblogged something twice lol

#the happiness queue wished for

queue tag

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topicprinter · 4 years

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Hey - Pat from StarterStory.com here with another interview.Today's interview is with Janeen Brown of Balloon Haus LLC, a brand that makes balloon decorations and installationsSome stats:Product: Balloon Decorations And InstallationsRevenue/mo: $20,000Started: February 2019Location: Toronto, Atlanta, Fort LauderdaleFounders: 1Employees: 4Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?I’m Janeen Brown! Founder and CEO of Balloon Haus LLC. In February 2018, I started Balloon Haus - the first opulent online and in-store Balloon boutique - where lifestyle and decor enter a "luxury" level of design. Our team consists of dedicated and loyal employees in Toronto, Atlanta and South Florida destined to create iconic balloon memories to last a lifetime.With the launch of Balloon Haus in 2018, the demand has exceeded all expectations with our corporate or personal clients. The Balloon Haus team is at the forefront of creating custom exquisite and trendy balloon installations and decorations. At Balloon Haus, we ensure passion and commitment in all that we do. Balloon decorators have been around for ages, however, the industry has taken quite the peak within the last couple of years due to social media and the picture-perfect moments. Thankfully, this has assisted in the quick growth of the company.Our notable clients include players from the Miami Heat and Dolphins (due to NDAs, cannot state names), Instagram, Levi’s, Marriott, Hilton, Ruth Chris, American Express, BMW, and many more. Our average sales generate about $20K/monthly.imageJaneen Brown Styling for Femology Detroit, 2018imageBlossoms Birthday, Toronto October 20th, 2018What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?I’ve always had quite the entrepreneurial spirit, always thinking of the next best idea which is how my first business was created - a non-profit focused on helping young women, followed by an employee concierge, I started with my father Jeluxxe Lifestyle Solutions. I was always intrigued to hear about others’ journeys and how they became full-time entrepreneurs but never thought I’d get there but here I am, thanks to Balloon Haus INC. As well as, reading and learning have always been an interest of mine, which is why I was able to start this “little balloon company.”Balloon Haus was a random idea that turned a successful business. A client from one of my other companies was looking for balloon decor and my assistant agreed to help with finding a vendor. This was much harder than we thought it would be and with no luck, we turned to youtube and figured out how to create the requested installation ourselves and the rest was history. I registered the business the same day, contacted my father and he told me, “this was the best decision you have ever made.” This was the only validation that I needed to know, this was going to be a successful business.I had 0 expertise in this industry and everything I’ve learned has been self-taught up until recently. When we first opened, I was still working my full-time job at an Ad agency while operating a non-profit and another business part-time. Although the start-up costs are minimal, it is NOT an easy business especially now that there are A LOT of competitors which include a lot of mom and pop (home-based) companies. Our day to day costs are much more than the average balloon designer as many works alone, don’t charge tax and are willing to negotiate. However, your team’s talent speaks wonders and will attract the right target audience.As social media continues to gain popularity, people are always looking for the next best backdrop for the perfect picture and talked about the event. This can explain why the balloon industry has spiked and there are so many new balloon companies popping up. This is why attending frequent balloon training is crucial as this will determine the success and revenue generated. We strive to remain different from the type of installations we create which is why we are able to have multiple client installations daily.At the time of opening, I was in a good place financially as my career was paying me well and my parents were quite supportive, providing any assistance when needed.Take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.When I first started Balloon Haus, I was trying to take the cheap way out and blow all of the balloons up with my mouth for the balloon installations and that didn’t last for long. The process took too long and I realized in an industry like this, we must be efficient with our time. I then started using a hand pump thinking that would make a difference which ended up with my hand aching the following day and us missing out on clients. You can tell by looking at our first few installations the difference between then and now, and how we have become experts in the industry. Thankfully, our starter costs were minimal minus the cost of insurance, company registration, and contractor fees when we got too busy.imageMeagan Ward x Essence Magazine - Detroit, MI May 2018 (one of our first Detroit installations)imagePartnership with Lavelle, Toronto, Ca June 2018imageApril 2019 Birthday Party Installation, Fort Lauderdale, FLDescribe the process of launching the business.The first three months were definitely a learning experience for me as we were still perfecting our craft, we worked on a lot of sponsorship partnerships and pro bono to get our names out to the public. We had customers but it took some time before we snagged corporate clients and public figures.We launched with our website done, insurance, and company registration however, pre-launch we started posting on Instagram to build up engagement and traffic.imageBalloon Haus Photoshoot, 2018Luckily, the balloon industry has very low start-up costs allowing you to purchase supplies beforehand and practice without losing any money. This is one of those industries that you don’t have to take any type of financing out as the markups are high, you can generate a decent amount of money to use towards equipment by the time your target market is introduced to your company.One suggestion I would have for anyone starting up, be selective of the sponsorships you agree to as, in the beginning, the ROI may not be what you expect but you will get the needed experience. Do not agree to work with everyone!When we launched, many of the balloon companies that existed were not up to date with how to’s on garlands, arches, balloon mosaics that we were able to have somewhat of an advantage. We also implemented a consulting program for any prospective clients to understand the needs they had to ensure they received exactly what they wanted. We were also open for 24 hours, which allowed us to take more orders than the majority of our competition (this helped us get our name out faster).imageFirst balloon Haus online ad - (February 2018)imageFirst Balloon Haus Website - February 2018imageSeptember 2019, Atlanta, GASince launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?To be transparent, these past two months, I’ve spent a lot of time with a mentor learning marketing strategies - segmentation, building storyboards, and all that fun marketing staff to assist with pushing forward a marketing campaign in 2020. Prior to this, I’ve spent money on AdWords, Google Advertising, Facebook and Instagram ads but since I’m not an expert on marketing, it’s hard to target the exact customer you are looking for due to all the algorithms changes.I also know in order to really see a difference with marketing, you must have at least 5K a minimum set aside and we are not there as of yet. I would rather use this towards hiring a salesperson and get leads the old fashioned way.We are in a visual industry so posting on social media helps but as we are so busy, we tend to go months without doing so which has gotten us messages asking, “are you even a real company?” since all the known balloon companies post everyday. We are working on hiring a social media coordinator for the new year.We do offer a VIP discount to customers who have purchased from us repeatedly which is where about 35% of our income is generated.I think next year, our team will be focused on pop-ups and installation in each city we are in to promote the Balloon Haus brand.I did see an increase in customer inquiries for about three months after my feature in Voyage Miami Feature, this was great as we received several Quinceañera requests.How are you doing today and what does the future look like?The majority of our sales are through our brick and mortar and calls but we would like to see this changed throughout the new year to see an increase in online sales.As the new year approaches, we anticipate 2020 to be one of the most successful profit-wise. As we have taken many losses these past two years but they have also taught us lessons which we will be sure to never repeat. We know what events balloon decor is a necessity and which ones not to focus on. We have learned our customer avatar and will generate sales from that. We are also focusing on attracting more corporate and notable clients as we are in a space that we can honor larger discounts to do. This would include grand openings, experiential events, brand launches, etc.imageMay 2019, Detroit, MIimageJune 2019 - Boca Raton, FLOur short-term goal is to snag 10 long-term corporate clients which involve working on all of their events throughout the year. As well as, moving into larger retail spaces to add additional decor services to our clients.Long term, we would rather not discuss as it’s going to disrupt the industry.Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?As I wasn’t too familiar with the balloon industry when I started, there were many mistakes that I made and wish I could go back and change but you can’t excel without failure.I had employees that didn’t show up to installations which left me to deal with upset clients and trying to maintain our reputation which was TOUGH. As we do not answer calls throughout the day on our 1-800 but give callbacks, it has left many old school customers upset that they cannot get a hold of us at their leisure but it has also helped us source through the serious customers.Creating a competitive analysis has really helped with competition and providing our customers with what our competition doesn’t.One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is NOT TO TAKE ON A DIFFICULT CUSTOMER. If you notice communicating with the customer from the beginning is not easy - do not continue as you will regret it and most likely end up with an unhappy customer by the end of the transaction.At one point, we didn’t want to turn any of our customers away so I would tell my staff to accept everyone but we would outsource the installation to another balloon installer. Let’s just say many of the installers were not as people-friendly and/or didn’t have the same work ethic as my teams.What platform/tools do you use for your business?Currently, I am obsessed with Slack and Airtable - efficient ways of communicating with the team and project management. What makes it even better is you can sync Airtable with Slack. We set up our client process, projects, etc through the airtable.Google Trends and Analytics can really help you distinguish what is popular in your industry and what your potential customers are looking for.As for CRMs, we currently use Hubspot to keep track of our current and potential clients - makes things much easier.Instagram and Facebook have been great for advertising our services as we are a visual industry but shockingly enough a lot of our business comes from referrals.Lastly, Buzzsumo is AMAZING for seeing what content your competitors are posting in relation to your industry.What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?First thing first, NEVER STOP LEARNING as it is crucial to your success.I’m such a lover of learning that I could go on about great books, podcasts and resources however, I won’t. I will name the few that have gotten me through tough times and given me the motivation to keep pushing.Quit Like a Millionaire by Kristy Shen & Bryce Leung, The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You by Lydia Fenet, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma were great books, and I have so many more recommendations but you would be reading all night. I’m quite the advocate of female entrepreneurs as they inspire me to go harder and one day I will be where they are. Podcasts that I enjoy listening to by other entrepreneurs are Girl Ceo - Ronnie Brown and Often Ambitious. Quite insightful and they tend to discuss real-life entrepreneurial issues.As of lately, I’ve been reading through a lot of Udemy courses on Marketing and Sales as we are growing, I’m looking to be introduced to sales tactics to increase revenue and disrupt the industry. Shockingly enough, Twitter has also taught me A LOT - there are so many business gems and if you are not on there, get on there. There are tribes of entrepreneurs giving out helpful advice discussing on the entrepreneurial journey.Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?JUST START.I would recommend not jumping the gun to full entrepreneurship until you are 100% sure financially and emotionally that you are ready as it’s much harder than it looks. Give yourself time and be patient with your journey. No day is the same, especially as you grow your team and clientele. Be prepared to be the owner, installer, accountant, etc for your business until you can financially pay someone else and/or find the right team. I had to take a lot of losses when it came to finding the right employees as no one will believe in your dream as much as you do. I had to learn how to be apologetic when my staff wasn’t returning calls fast enough, missing appointments and choosing to show up late to events. THESE WERE VERY HARD LESSONS TO LEARN. We also grew much faster than anticipated which caused us to contract some of our client work and not every installer is going to be as efficient as your team.Your entire life will change when you become an entrepreneur because you are no longer in routine; whether it’s your eating, health, mental habits, etc.Get a mentor who will invest in you, but bring quality to the person you are being mentored by, if it’s as simple as ensuring their coffee is ready for them. Read, read, read. Never stop upgrading yourself.Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?Currently, we are hiring for our newest location in Atlanta we are looking for part-time balloon installers. Your main task would be to complete balloon installations and possibly, work in the store as well. We are also hiring remotely for 1 Sales Person, 1 Digital Marketer, and A PR Coordinator.Where can we go to learn more?WebsiteFacebookInstagramIf you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!Liked this text interview? Check out the full interview with photos, tools, books, and other data.For more interviews, check out r/starter_story - I post new stories there daily.Interested in sharing your own story? Send me a PM

#/r/entrepreneur #reddit

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evnoweb · 5 years

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The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills

Education used to focus on the 3 R’s — reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. Without a doubt, those remain critical subjects but these days, they are just the beginning. What about history (because those who don’t understand history are forced to repeat it) and civics (so we understand how government works)? And the STEAM subjects — science, technology, engineering, arts, and math? No wonder it takes eight hours a day — and more — to learn what is required to thrive in the 21st-century world.

I need to add another topic to this list, one that is used daily and misunderstood just as often, one that intimidates some and confuses many, one where an introduction feels like drinking from a fire hose. If you haven’t guessed it yet, it’s the Internet. Let’s be honest: The Internet is a monster. You felt that way — probably called it worse — the last time you were hacked. Having your personal information stolen feels like your life swirling down the drain. In your lifetime, you will spend more time on the Internet than sleeping. It doesn’t care about your career, your favorite subject, or life goal. If we are defined by the choices we make, the Internet provides the biggest chance for an oops with the most devastating consequences.

Teenagers spend average nine hours a day on the Internet. It seems irresponsible to adopt the SODTI attitude — Some Other Dude Teaches It.

That’s the bad news: Internet safety must be taught and if not by you, by whom? The good news is, teaching about the Internet is easily blended into almost any subject, any topic. Let’s start with the biggest Internet topics most schools want to cover and I’ll show you how to do that.

Internet Safety

I teach a lot of education grad school classes and always ask who teaches Internet safety at their school. The answer almost always is someone else. I’ll amend that slightly to say that the dying group of technology lab teachers do address it, but most of them self-report to me that it is treated like a unit of study — one and done. They teach it during the one day a week they have students and then move on to something else.

But Internet safety can’t be taught that way. It must be reinforced every time students use the Internet until it’s a habit. I have lots of tricks for making that happen but a favorite is to create an avatar. Students go to one of many online websites to build their personal avatar and then use that with any online registration, webtool, or even appended to documents (to remind them of Internet safety). It will look nothing like them, have nothing personal, yet be recognized by friends “in the know” as being them.

There are lots of avatar builders. Avoid those with ads, that require a registration, or are surrounded by enticing websites. Two of my favorites are Voki and Storyboard That!

Voki is a traditional avatar builder with lots of options for characters, background, audio, and extras. You might already use Voki to enhance reading and writing, showcase student work, and review historical events. When used to create avatars, the free version is fine. Once students complete the character, take a screenshot and save it. Now it’s available as a versatile image file to add to profiles, blogs, and anywhere else an avatar spices up an assignment. Mine looks like this:

Storyboard That! is an excellent digital storytelling tool that uses the vehicle of comics to create visual stories. It’s a drag-and-drop format that is intuitive to learn and easy to use. Teachers incorporate it into lesson plans to explore historical events, build timelines, understand the sequencing of ideas, and more. For our purposes, students need only create one frame in the storyboard, add a character that they’d like to use for an avatar, and then take the screenshot. Once saved, that standard image file can be used anywhere an avatar fits. Here’s an example:

Legal use of online media

This is one of those topics that is oft misunderstood and rarely taught (because it is so confusing). Most adults realize that text can’t be copied from the Internet without citation and music is only free if the website says it is (even then, download at your own peril), but few adults know that all online images not in the public domain are protected. Many think that because pictures are online, they must be in that “public domain” thing (whatever that is) so represent it so to their students. This is just not true. In fact, American copyright law (check some of the links below for the evidence) says the creators’ work posted online is protected. It is up to the future user to determine what those protections are. Many non-American countries (like the European Union) are stricter, not even honoring the American doctrine of “fair use” for education.

This, like Internet safety, is considered part of SODTI — Some Other Dude Teaches It. Which rarely happens. As teachers, we must ask, if not us, who? And then accept the responsibility for teaching how to legally use online media.

Luckily, it’s not as hard as it sounds. The basics are pretty clear and can always be blended into any subject that requires images. Like Internet Safety, teaching the legal use of online media isn’t a one-and-done activity. Start by devoting some classtime to discussion. Use one of the websites below, depending upon the age group you teach:

Copyrights – BrainPop video

Take the mystery out of copyrights – by the Library of Congress

Teaching Copyright — a high school curriculum

Videos on licensing, copyrights, more — from Creative Commons

Then, every time students use online media, remind them of the appropriate way — or have them remind each other. Eventually, proper use will become a habit, just like handwriting and math tables. Repetition begets learning.

Netiquette

Once students are interacting with online websites, they need to learn the etiquette associated with those actions. It’s pretty much what they already know as etiquette but adapted to the Internet ecosystem. Of all the topics, this is the most likely to be covered by teachers I talk to.

Basic netiquette includes:

respect other’s privacy

be forgiving of other’s mistakes

be aware of your digital footprint

share your knowledge

don’t cyberbully

Get students started the first time you talk about blogging or online forums with a quick review using one of these websites:

Discussion Board Netiquette — a video

Netiquette — a comical story made in Powtoons

Netiquette Basics — a short video with no sound

Netiquette for beginners — a video

Netiquette: Playing Nice on the Web — a video

Netiquette Rules — a video by 4th graders

You Can’t Take it Back — a life story from Netsmartz

Preview these first and then pick the ones best suited for your student group. Here’s a good poster you can tape to your classroom wall:

Digital Search and Research

Until students are told otherwise, most search the Internet by plugging a term into the search bar and clicking on the hits that populate. They think that the higher up the search page, the more reliable and more suited a hit is to the search. That’s simply not true and here’s why: 1) Most search engines offer paid websites priority over others, and 2) the more hits a website gets, the higher up the search engine it appears, which has nothing to do with veracity and appropriateness. This is why teaching the nuances of digital search is critical. It starts simple, probably in second grade, for their first web-based research project, and becomes more sophisticated every year after that.

Without a doubt, you will have lots of opportunities in any class to blend this learning into core projects, without taking time away from other lessons. Once students know the right way to search, they will do it much faster with less frustration.

Here are favorite websites that teach online search. Pick the ones best suited to your student group:

Basic search tips – from Google

Berkeley’s Library Page – search tips

Internet searches — a fun video

Power Search — a full course in Internet searches from Google

***

That’s it — four critical topics that aren’t usually covered in core classes but once learned make a big difference in student learning.

–published first on TeachHUB

More about Internet safety

A long list of websites that teach Internet safety

Teaching Digital Rights and Responsibilities

How to Pick Reliable Websites: The Infographic

Plagiarism: What it is and how to identify it

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today and TeachHUB, and author of the tech thriller, Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills published first on https://medium.com/@DigitalDLCourse

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endevia · 5 years

Text

The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills

Teenagers spend average nine hours a day on the Internet. It seems irresponsible to adopt the SODTI attitude — Some Other Dude Teaches It.

Internet Safety

There are lots of avatar builders. Avoid those with ads, that require a registration, or are surrounded by enticing websites. Two of my favorites are Voki and Storyboard That!

Legal use of online media

Copyrights – BrainPop video

Take the mystery out of copyrights – by the Library of Congress

Teaching Copyright — a high school curriculum

Videos on licensing, copyrights, more — from Creative Commons

Netiquette

Basic netiquette includes:

respect other’s privacy

be forgiving of other’s mistakes

be aware of your digital footprint

share your knowledge

don’t cyberbully

Get students started the first time you talk about blogging or online forums with a quick review using one of these websites:

Discussion Board Netiquette — a video

Netiquette — a comical story made in Powtoons

Netiquette Basics — a short video with no sound

Netiquette for beginners — a video

Netiquette: Playing Nice on the Web — a video

Netiquette Rules — a video by 4th graders

You Can’t Take it Back — a life story from Netsmartz

Preview these first and then pick the ones best suited for your student group. Here’s a good poster you can tape to your classroom wall:

Digital Search and Research

Here are favorite websites that teach online search. Pick the ones best suited to your student group:

Basic search tips – from Google

Berkeley’s Library Page – search tips

Internet searches — a fun video

Power Search — a full course in Internet searches from Google

***

That’s it — four critical topics that aren’t usually covered in core classes but once learned make a big difference in student learning.

–published first on TeachHUB

More about Internet safety

A long list of websites that teach Internet safety

Teaching Digital Rights and Responsibilities

How to Pick Reliable Websites: The Infographic

Plagiarism: What it is and how to identify it

The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills published first on https://medium.com/@greatpricecourse

0 notes

statrano · 5 years

Text

The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills

Teenagers spend average nine hours a day on the Internet. It seems irresponsible to adopt the SODTI attitude — Some Other Dude Teaches It.

Internet Safety

There are lots of avatar builders. Avoid those with ads, that require a registration, or are surrounded by enticing websites. Two of my favorites are Voki and Storyboard That!

Legal use of online media

Copyrights – BrainPop video

Take the mystery out of copyrights – by the Library of Congress

Teaching Copyright — a high school curriculum

Videos on licensing, copyrights, more — from Creative Commons

Netiquette

Basic netiquette includes:

respect other’s privacy

be forgiving of other’s mistakes

be aware of your digital footprint

share your knowledge

don’t cyberbully

Get students started the first time you talk about blogging or online forums with a quick review using one of these websites:

Discussion Board Netiquette — a video

Netiquette — a comical story made in Powtoons

Netiquette Basics — a short video with no sound

Netiquette for beginners — a video

Netiquette: Playing Nice on the Web — a video

Netiquette Rules — a video by 4th graders

You Can’t Take it Back — a life story from Netsmartz

Preview these first and then pick the ones best suited for your student group. Here’s a good poster you can tape to your classroom wall:

Digital Search and Research

Here are favorite websites that teach online search. Pick the ones best suited to your student group:

Basic search tips – from Google

Berkeley’s Library Page – search tips

Internet searches — a fun video

Power Search — a full course in Internet searches from Google

***

That’s it — four critical topics that aren’t usually covered in core classes but once learned make a big difference in student learning.

–published first on TeachHUB

More about Internet safety

A long list of websites that teach Internet safety

Teaching Digital Rights and Responsibilities

How to Pick Reliable Websites: The Infographic

Plagiarism: What it is and how to identify it

The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills published first on https://seminarsacademy.tumblr.com/

0 notes

corpasa · 5 years

Text

The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills

Teenagers spend average nine hours a day on the Internet. It seems irresponsible to adopt the SODTI attitude — Some Other Dude Teaches It.

Internet Safety

There are lots of avatar builders. Avoid those with ads, that require a registration, or are surrounded by enticing websites. Two of my favorites are Voki and Storyboard That!

Legal use of online media

Copyrights – BrainPop video

Take the mystery out of copyrights – by the Library of Congress

Teaching Copyright — a high school curriculum

Videos on licensing, copyrights, more — from Creative Commons

Netiquette

Basic netiquette includes:

respect other’s privacy

be forgiving of other’s mistakes

be aware of your digital footprint

share your knowledge

don’t cyberbully

Get students started the first time you talk about blogging or online forums with a quick review using one of these websites:

Discussion Board Netiquette — a video

Netiquette — a comical story made in Powtoons

Netiquette Basics — a short video with no sound

Netiquette for beginners — a video

Netiquette: Playing Nice on the Web — a video

Netiquette Rules — a video by 4th graders

You Can’t Take it Back — a life story from Netsmartz

Preview these first and then pick the ones best suited for your student group. Here’s a good poster you can tape to your classroom wall:

Digital Search and Research

Here are favorite websites that teach online search. Pick the ones best suited to your student group:

Basic search tips – from Google

Berkeley’s Library Page – search tips

Internet searches — a fun video

Power Search — a full course in Internet searches from Google

***

That’s it — four critical topics that aren’t usually covered in core classes but once learned make a big difference in student learning.

–published first on TeachHUB

More about Internet safety

A long list of websites that teach Internet safety

Teaching Digital Rights and Responsibilities

How to Pick Reliable Websites: The Infographic

Plagiarism: What it is and how to identify it

The Easy Way to Teach Internet Skills published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow

0 notes

mi5016kamilamammadova · 6 years

Text

Analysis

In this essay I will try to analyse what I have acquired through ought the learning period of this course. How the modules I have learned would help establish what I am most interested within the industry. As well as what I should look for within the industry as I leave university to become part of a company.

I always loved traditional animation. I have been a fan of fine art as well as, illustration and hand drawn animation felt like a natural progression from the other two. Apart from the love for drawing art, I was curious to learn not only how to depict people or other fictional characters but to also see them interact with their surroundings and decide what mannerisms they would have to work with to express themselves. I have had the chance to grow up among, as well as make friends with people of various backgrounds, characters and characteristics, and while I never overly romanticized them I realized that they were a huge influence within my life and have helped me not only to build myself up better as a person but to also understand the various complicated relations we all have with the world and each other. I am incredibly grateful for such opportunities in changing ones perspective and have always wanted a good excuse to be able to depict that in my own work. Creating characters, building worlds similar yet different from the one we are in seemed like a great excuse to do so. Hence, drawing frame by frame animation no matter how arduous, always will seem an exciting ordeal to me. This also encouraged me to design characters, backgrounds as well as explore scriptwriting, storyboarding, 2D and 3D animation.

There are various aspects required for visual storytelling. At times companies take inspiration from other work to build their scenes. Steven Universes background artist Elle Michalka borrowed from Cezanne, while in Atlantis: The Hidden City, the style relied on Mike Mignolas comic book Hellboy. Each of these works do a great job not only in creating storylines, but further supporting them with the typology of the scene.

This connects to another job title I would love to try. Over the years there has been a new trend in a new type of comics storytelling that are internet based and that is webtoons. I have loved reading webtoons created by various artists in different genres. The industry though very new in the western world is becoming more widely spread and allows easy access to interesting content, as well as more job opportunities for independent artist to publish their own webtoons online. So far the work I have seen has been amazing and if widely recognized gets a chance to be published in hard book copy which I dream of doing some day. Similarly, I have always wanted to try illustrating children’s books as I have loved folklore from various cultures. I especially have strong desire in aiding awareness to to the existence of my own countries folklore and have secured an agreement with an author in Azerbaijan in illustrating their fictional work. The story takes heavy inspiration from national folk creatures, myths, and old stories and I am excited for the research required for the work as well as the job itself.

This module taught me the process of searching for a job within the animation industry. Previously I was somewhat aware of what I would like to pursue in my future job, the module helped me with the process that I used to fear. Often it is important to have portfolio of work and easily accessible online presence which includes your logo. In the case of Rough Draft Studios that I would like to pursue, I would have to assemble a portfolio of work and send it to the recommended person, most studios aid by describing what they are looking for on their pages, and have specific job titles ready. It is important to see what the studio is known for, in this case a 2D artist would be in demand However, what was very important for me to learn is how crucial it is to connect to various people of talent online be it by Twitter, Vimeo or Instagram, as well as the importance of attending various events for further partnerships. I learned how crucial it is to further push myself as a confident future employee for the companies to want to hire me If I have the chance to attend interviews or visit such events. Which brought me to the next issue present.

As I feared to find out how employable I might be due to my talents I realized the possibility of it happening at all would have to be halved as I would require extra documentation and financial aid, to be employed in UK. Not being a common well fare country, I would need to acquire a Tier 2 visa. Main requirements for which would be a sponsor, a tuberculosis screening, a salary of 30,000 per a year, as well as availability of £945 in your bank account as proof that I could support myself. As a starting animator finding a job with a starting salary of 30,000 a year would be exceptionally hard. The main option would be London where the salaries are a bit higher, though the chances are still slim. Not to mention I would require to apply and be employed within the 3 months limit after I graduate. What I learned would be a great back up plan if I continue networking within LinkedIn and continue keeping in contact with potential employers online. This should still leave room for possibilities for future projects even if they are independent and done from home, as well as give opportunity for a better portfolio which in turn hopefully would catch a good companies attention outside my own country.

Lastly, this module discussed ethics within animation industry. Were I to be ever employed, it would be crucial to me to take into consideration the existing world and include people of various backgrounds in a respectable manner. I found the past cartoons have captured the societal views of what is normal and acceptable, and I found it would take negative impact on people involved. For instance, majority of my friends would find it disturbing that Disney created characters of Siamese cats heavily based of racist Chinese stereotypes. I feel as though the studios wanted and entertaining variety to the character cast however ended up doing so without appropriate research or respect for the people involved. This is to be avoided. Thankfully, diversity within current animation industry has been improving over the years. Latest examples would include “Craig of the Creak” that has a large cast of characters all from varying backgrounds, genders, sexualities and even physical build that allows any child watching the show to learn the importance of love and respect towards their family and peers no matter how different, as well as the chance to see themselves in the character and feel like a part of a bigger picture. Understandably, there are works that rely on being offensive for their humour, but that would also require the consideration for context, the scene involved, the current political and social climates, and the knowledge of how the targeted audience would react to the work. The studios as well as animators have a certain amount of responsibility to build a world for a child, a world that perpetuates healthy understanding of people’s differences, and their indisputable equality to each other. Another important lesson was on the relationship between the animators and studios involved. The most common occurring problems would involve animators breaking the non-disclosure agreement. This could greatly affect the production value of the project and especially negatively affect involved parties. A good most recent example would be the constant leeks of future episodes of Steven Universe. Which often results in lower viewer ship of the show. Similarly, I learnt of the same duty the studios hold towards the animators. The recent most famous case would be the scandal involving “Sausage Party” which was an R-rated 3D movie, that allegedly did not pay overwork hours, and did not credit half of the animating crew. During our module we were assured by one of the guest speakers from Joint Studios that that is not as common of an occurrence as we might think and we would be paid for the extra hours we put in. Still I understand that it would be important to demand for appropriate pay, and avoid overwork to ensure ones own physical and mental health does not suffer.

In conclusion, this course helped to re-establish what I would like to achieve in future and how I would go about it. I am happy to have found that I prefer traditional animation and illustrative work opposed to 3D animation. Though I do believe flexibility is key due to my position as an international worker. Additionally, I was very excited to understand the importance of branding and marketing yourself within the industry, be it through events or online, and how it is important not to fear standing out, as that might only help ensure your position. Finally, I now know the importance of ones own health as well as good ethical behaviour and this will hopefully aid me in acquiring the job I feel very passionate about.

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